It's Day 38 of The Red Shoe Project and even though some parts of the country are getting ready for snow, I was found running about town, (in Sarasota, Florida), in my RED flip flops. It was a gorgeous day! And just as these bold, RED SHOES are meant to bring focus to The Power and Presence of God in my life, I have always found it wise to pay close attention to any idea or concept that is presented to me, boldly, 3 times, over a very short period of time. So today my thoughts are all centering around the word, "MAGNETIC"
When something is "MAGNETIC" it has an extraordinary power
or ability to attract something to it.
My first MAGNETIC experience was when I was a little girl. The Coca Cola Bottling Company had a contest going on where you had to collect all the Coke Bottle Caps you could. Inside each cap was the picture of a Red Sox baseball player. When you collected the pictures of the entire team, you could trade them in for a special prize... like a Red Sox baseball hat or bat or glove. With all that in mind, my Dad took a magnet and attached a long wire to it. Every day I would go up to the corner store and ask if I could collect the bottle caps from their soda pop machine. There I was, feeding the wire down into the machine where the bottle caps were. The bottle caps would connect themselves to the magnet, and I would pull the wire back up slowly, and look diligently inside the caps to see if there were any new pictures of players that I didn't already have in my collection. Even doubles were good, because you could trade them with someone else for a player you didn't have.
Fast forward several decades. Today I was thinking about when I first was writing my book, The Yellow Brick Road: A Woman's Journey to the Edge and Back, I went downtown to meet up with a business associate. I found her, in the shoe store, next door to her business. She shouted for me to come in and join her -- There was a Sale going on! This was a very high end shoe store... a little more than I was accustomed to spending on footwear. I stepped just inside the door (to be polite) and the owner called out to me,
"Come in! Come in! Can I interest you in some shoes?
Everything is on sale!"
I smiled sheepishly and responded,
"Not unless you have some RUBY SLIPPERS."
"As a matter of fact, I do" she said. "What size do you wear?"
"8 1/2."
"Let me check in the back."
A few minutes later, she returned from the back room with a large shoe box. She took off the top of the box, unwrapped the paper, and there emerged the most beautiful pair of RED shoes I'd ever seen in my entire life! They were RED Satin with Swarovski Crystal Hearts.
"Would you like to try them on?"
"O.K." I nodded, thinking "What's the harm?
I'm just trying them on."
As my foot neared the shoe, I felt like they sucked my foot right into place.
Yes... they were MAGNETIC. Unbelievable! you may think, But true!
I hesitantly asked "How much are they?" and couldn't believe her response. This was truly a magnificent sale! ( I think they were like 70% off! )
"SOLD!!!" I responded with a smile.
Eventually, these RUBY SLIPPERS would become the shoes on the front cover of my book. And I'm usually seen wearing them when I am speaking at special events.
This very week, I met with several Discussion Groups where we are talking about God -- Does He really exist? Can we have a relationship with Him? Many people are searching and seeking for answers. A few have even mentioned sensing that... like a magnet, they feel like they are being drawn to this church... to this discussion group... to The Bible... to God.
"No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him".
John 6:44
Interesting, isn't it?
Finally, today makes 38 Days in my pursuit for a closer walk with God. My daily activity has included a significant increase in Worship & Praise, Bible Reading and Prayer... for these things tend to draw me most into His Presence. I am noticing that at the beginning, it was hard to get into that habit. But now, like a magnet, I am drawn in quite easily and carried along into these Divine Disciplines.
Yes... God is MAGNETIC and I often find myself taking off my RED shoes
in His Presence.
Gail
